Cyborg Insect Could Be a Life-saving Device

Cyborg cockroaches could help with search and rescue missions in collapsed buildings,

Researchers from the University of Connecticut placed tiny neuro-controllers on cockroaches to manipulate the insects' movement inside the buildings. The research, which was presented on Thursday at the Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience in Philadelphia, shows that the scientists are working on the subject.

"Abhishek Dutta, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Connecticut, said," The use of insects and platforms for small robots has an incredible number of useful applications. statement. "We believe our microcircuit provides a more sophisticated and reliable control system that brings us one step closer to real-world implementation of this technology."

The team tested the device on the Madagascar hissing cockroach. According to National Geographic, the cockroaches are about two to three inches long and can live for two to five years. The microcircuit is attached to a live cockroach through which is essentially a tiny backpack. Developing these devices has been difficult historically because of their small size. To attach the device, wires from the circuit are connected to the insect's antennae lobes.

When the researchers send light electrical charges to the neural tissue that's located in the antenna, they can trick the cockroach into thinking there's an obstacle. The cockroach will then move in another direction-the direction that the operator hoped it would. A charge to the right antenna will make a cockroach move to the left and vice versa.

Giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches cling to a box. When the researchers send light to the neural tissue that is located in the cockroaches' antennae, they can trick the cockroach into thinking there's an obstacle. SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

Though similar devices have been developed in this past, this circuit is unique because it contains an advanced nine-axis inertial measurement unit that can track the cockroach's rotational and linear acceleration and direction it's heading. It can also detect the temperature around the insect. By detecting the temperature, the scientists may be able to predict how the climate will affect them.

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But the researchers found that the response is less strongly to the artificial stimuli. For example, if the cockroach turned right strongly when the first charge was made to the left of the antenna, the result would be strong. With more research and development, the cyborg cockroaches could potentially locate people in collapsed buildings that rescue teams are not able to enter.